Day by Day

Thursday, November 11, 2010

I don't know if there's anything that I can say to beat all the essays and speeches made by people far more verbose than me.

There's times when I have to travel in uniform, and I'm always at a loss of what to say when someone comes up to me and says "Thank You". I don't think I've done nearly enough to deserve that thanks, compared to so many of the people currently serving in all the branches of the military today. If you really want to thank a veteran, donate to Soldier's Angels, or the USO, or volunteer some time at the local VA hospital or airport USO. There's no better sight to a Soldier who's laid up at an airport for hours than the brightly lit open door of a USO. A cup of coffee and a PB&J sammich does wonders for a soul who's been on a plane for hours, and probably has more hours on a plane to look forward to.

In the meantime, I'm off to Portland. Posting will be spotty for a while. Toodles!

The report argues that the achievement gaps start at young ages, noting that while 12 percent of black boys in the fourth grade boys are proficient in reading, 38 percent of white boys are proficient. In eighth grade, 12 percent of black boys and 44 percent of white boys are are proficient in math. According to the report, poverty levels are only part of the equation because poor white boys (defined by eligibility for subsidized school lunches) are doing as well as black boys who do not live in poverty.

I hate to tell the New York Times or anyone else, but this report is NOT jaw-dropping to anyone who has had to read a piece of correspondence from anyone with a high school diploma. However, what is jaw dropping is the fact that people are looking at race. That doesn't happen much, because there's a fear of being labeled a racist. It's like the new third rail of politics. But Trog has no fear!